Gardens are all heart – by Diane Morey Sitton

As if it wasn’t enough that nature decorates gardens with the heart-shaped foliage and flowers of caladium, cyclamen, elephant ear, hosta, dicentra, and ivy, among other heartthrobs. Gardeners, too, seem smitten by Cupid’s symbol.

Look around … there are hearts aplenty. Like Cupid himself, love struck and on the loose with a quiver full of arrows, gardeners dangle heart-shaped wind chimes from tree branches, they paint hearts on pots and the sides of potting sheds, and they piece hearts together – mosaic-style—using bits of broken pottery and glass. Stepping stones, signs, birdhouses, banners … they’re all there, either embellished with hearts or shaped like hearts, in gardens large and small.

And there’s more.

Decorative metalwork, too, is all heart. But look closely. Whether plump or elongated, upside down or back to back, hearts are hidden in plain sight on wrought iron gates and fences. Vines with heart-shaped foliage conceal heart-shaped scrollwork on trellises and arbors. Chair backs, plant stands, and even plant hangers emblazoned with heart-inspired images set the heart on fire.

It’s hard to say what prompted the first gardener to paint a lopsided heart on a garden gate or to display a primitive tin heart among garden flowers. Chances are the impulse was inspired by Valentine’s Day.

In its earliest version, the heart-filled holiday was an ancient Roman love fest. Eventually, the pope recast the pagan antics into a festival honoring Saint Valentinus. In the 14th century, a poem written by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer linked Valentine’s Day to romance.

Some 500 years passed before Americans fell in love with the day of hearts and flowers. And fall in love they did … wholeheartedly! By 1913 Hallmark Cards’ mass-produced valentines had replaced the meticulously hand-crafted cards of earlier times. Today, according to Hallmark, folks eagerly wear their hearts on their sleeves by exchanging some 145 million Valentine Day cards (not including kids’ valentines swapped at school.) There are cards for spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, parents, teachers, and even pets.

Yes, the heart-shaped symbol is more prevalent than ever. And whether homemade, crafted by artisans, inspired by lovebirds or the glint in a cherub’s eye, hearts decorate gates, adorn garden fences, embellish herb beds, and draw the eye to borders, all the while complementing flowers and foliage.

For gardeners, it’s Valentine’s Day all year long.